Of The Solstice

The Dark Lord

Evan pulled me inside the house, which appeared to be bewitched as the interior was much more luxurious than the exterior. He led me to a large, dimly lit room, where the only source of light was a blazing fireplace. At the far end of the room, sitting on a throne-like chair, was a very pale man with a severely disfigured face and glowing red eyes.

"Come, child," he said, attempting to sound gentle despite his raspy voice. Evan gave me a push and I reluctantly stepped forward towards the man. As I drew closer, I recognized him, it was Voldemort.

As I approached him, he stood up from his throne and held out his hand. "Give me your arm," he commanded in a firm voice. Without a word, I complied, offering him my wrist. He gripped it tightly and pulled up my sleeve, examining the scarred skin surrounding the Dark Mark. Clicking his teeth in disapproval, he pressed his finger onto the skull, causing a searing pain to radiate up my arm.

"Silly child," he admonished. "Mutilating yourself to try and remove what cannot be undone." Tears welled in my eyes from the pain, he let go of my arm, and returned to his seat. "Rosier, the poor thing is terrified, what have you done to her?"

"She was being disobedient, I simply put her in her place" Evan said with a cocky smile.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed, and he turned his attention back to me. "Is that true?" he asked, his voice cold and menacing.

I hesitated, unsure of what to say. Evan had been cruel to me, but I didn't want to make things worse for myself. Before I could answer, Voldemort spoke again.

"I don't tolerate disobedience," he said, his voice cold. "Rosier knows that too well." He paused "Now, child," he said, his voice gentle once again. "Tell me, what is your name?"

I hesitated for a moment, still unsure of what was happening. "Calista," I finally managed to whisper.

"Calista," Voldemort repeated, as if testing the name on his tongue. "A pretty name, for a pretty girl."

Suddenly, I felt a powerful force rummaging through my memories, as if a hand was sifting through them one by one. The Dark Lord was delving deep into my mind, pulling out memories I had long forgotten.

As abruptly as it had started, the intrusion ended. I let out heavy breaths as I recovered from the invasion. Voldemort's voice pierced the silence like a blade. "Rosier, I am disappointed in you," he said in a low, dangerous tone. "You have failed me yet again," he continued,

Evan hung his head and walked forward, saying, "My Lord, I can explain."

Voldemort raised his hand, halting Evan in his tracks. "Do you forget that I see everything?" he asked, his voice cold and menacing. "You have assaulted, and mutilated this poor girl," he added with a hint of empathy, his eyes narrowing at Evan.

Evan swallowed hard, "My lord, I thought she could be of use to us. She has knowledge of the Order and I thought we could use that information."

Voldemort's eyes blazed with fury as he heard Evan's explanation. "You thought that forcing yourself on a girl was the best way to gather information?" he spat, his tone laced with disgust. "I will show you how to truly extract information."

As soon as the words left Voldemort's mouth, a blinding flash of pain erupted through my body. I crumpled to the ground, writhing and screaming uncontrollably as the Crucio curse took hold. Voldemort laughed cruelly as I writhed in agony, but eventually he ceased the curse and leaned down to my face. "Who leads the Order?" he demanded in a cold, hard voice.